Wolf Betrayed (Talon Pack #4)(32)

Shane winced. “He might have mentioned it, but I blew him off.” Shane sat down on the old couch, resting his forearms on his thighs. I wasn’t in a good mood when he asked, and he hasn’t asked again.”

Bram met Charlotte’s gaze. “He’ll either find a way to get your things without your help, or he’ll show up again and ask. He always finds a way to get what he wants.”

“I’m learning that fact about a lot of the Talons now,” Shane said wryly. He paused as if trying to collect his thoughts. “I never thought I’d be here, you know. I figured I’d retire or get out when my term came up like I was planning to and learn to be a civilian. Turns out, I’m learning to be something else entirely. I didn’t like the idea of who I would have to become if I had stayed with Montag, but I’m still not sure who I am now.”

Charlotte sat down on the coffee table in front of Shane, while Bram took a seat near the other man on the couch. “There’s a lot of that going around.” She licked her lips, and Bram forced himself not to stare. It wasn’t easy when the mating urge was riding him so hard. “I’m sorry for blurting out the whole mate thing like I did.” She blew out a breath. “It’s just all so much, and I tend to either block myself from things or let it all out in unintelligible instances when I’m stressed.”

Shane smiled then, and Bram once again felt the mating urge hit him. The man was handsome, sure, but when he smiled? Yeah, Bram was going to be in trouble with these two.

“I don’t mind that you blurted it out,” Shane said. “I’d rather know why the two of you are freaking out around me and yet calming me at the same time. So I guess this is where I ask what mating is beyond the fact that wolves call their significant others mates.”

Bram shook his head. “It’s much more than a significant other.”

Charlotte looked at Bram for a moment, sheer need on her face before turning back to Shane. “It’s a bond between two wolves, but it’s not just that either. You see, within the world and over time, there are wolves, witches, and humans out there that are the, for lack of a better word, perfect match for a wolf. The moon goddess, our deity, the one who made us who we are, finds us someone who has the potential to be our soul mate, our other half. While the human part of us can reject a mating because of numerous reasons, many don’t because if fate twists just the right way, that mating could bring…happiness.” She wiped a tear, and Bram let out a small growl.

“What is it?” Shane asked, looking between the two of them. “What am I missing?” The other man reached out hesitantly and wiped another tear from Charlotte’s face. With any other man, Bram would have torn the limb from its socket for that touch alone, but with Shane, Bram couldn’t help but be pleased.

That’s when Bram knew the truth.

They were a triad. A potential for something far greater than themselves. If it had been either or, he’d have felt more at war, torn between the two of them and would have demanded a choice. Instead, he wanted both. And maybe, just maybe, fate would let him have it.

“Bram and I…” Charlotte began and shook her head.

“Charlotte and I have been best friends since we were children, and she came to the Redwoods.”

Shane frowned. “You weren’t always a Redwood?”

Charlotte let out a short laugh. “One long story at a time, okay?”

Shane ran a hand through his hair. “I’m thinking I could spend years learning new things about the two of you and these Packs and never quite catch up.”

“True,” Bram said, “but I’m forever learning new things, too. It keeps things interesting when we’re so long-lived.”

Shane’s eyes widened. “Fuck,” he whispered. “I…I never really thought of that.”

Charlotte reached out and gripped Shane’s knee. The other man licked his lips as he looked between the two of them. “One long story at a time,” she repeated. “Bram and I are friends and have been for years. You see, sometimes, the mating urge, that feeling you have in your heart and within your wolf that tells you that this other person could be your mate and everything you could ever need, takes a while to show up. We’d known each other since we were children, but our wolves waited until we were old enough to possibly handle the complex emotions that came with mating.”

Shane looked between the two of them. “So you’re mates, then.” Disappointment clouded his features. “Then how do I fit in?”

Bram shook his head. “That’s just it. We tried.” His voice was deep, hollow. Charlotte didn’t make a sound, and he knew she was hiding her emotions once again.

“It didn’t work,” Charlotte put in, her voice equally hollow. “To create a mating bond, you have to bond not only the human but also the wolf.”

Bram continued, “Sex bonds the humans. Or rather, the exchange of fluids so those not ready for that step wear a condom. A mating mark, a bite on the fleshy part where the shoulder meets the neck, bonds the wolf.”

Charlotte ran a hand over her neck, an unconscious gesture that had both men staring with avid hunger.

“And you tried both?” Shane asked, his voice almost a growl. “And the bond didn’t work?”

Charlotte shook her head. “No. I thought…I thought the moon goddess had forsaken me.”